I have only sat through a handful of interviews in my life. Most of the interviews that I have been a part of are a direct result of my nursing license. I had to interview to get into nursing school, and I have gone through several panel interviews for various nursing jobs. All of the interviews asked questions regarding leadership, critical thinking, time management, organization, and teamwork skills. Some interviews have been better than others, but I can honestly say I have learned something new in each one. No interview is the same, but the general structure and concept behind the questions are very similar. Ultimately, I think all the interviews I have participated in, as the interviewee or interviewer, were effective due to the reliability and validity of the interview design and implementation.
As the interviewee, I always expect questions that are designed to determine if I can effectively perform my job as a nurse and if there are any red flags about my skills and abilities. However, it was not until I was on the other side of the interview that I realized there is a lot more that goes into the interview process than just a group of individuals gathering together for a series of questions.
Through my capstone and its job shadow hours, I have had the opportunity to shadow several managers. Each interview follows the structure discussed in this week’s lectures. The general design of the interviews is consistent across departments; they all are panel interviews with a series of questions as well as time at the end for questions. The questions are different between departments and managers, but for a specific job listing, the interview questions are consistently the same. I had one manager go as far as reminding all those participating that if any question were asked “off-script,” we would need to record the question asked and then be sure to ask it to the next candidate. After reviewing this week’s material, I understand why this is so important; this scoring guide helps to compare candidates, which also limits bias risks to help sift through candidates in order to find the right person for the position and the team.
Ultimately, asking the same questions to each of the candidates provides reliability when comparing them because it ensures consistency and gives the team the ability to compare candidates via a scoring method to reduce the risk of bias. Also, the type of question chosen is important, as it can help validate the candidate’s ability to do the job. Appropriate questions can draw out relevant information that can predict the candidate’s ability to successfully perform the job requirements in the future.
For example, in one of my interviews, I was asked about how I would work through a scenario where I was running a provider’s schedule and was asked to help a teammate. There was also a question about how I would manage 2–3 patients in a clinic who had different needs. Each question was designed to assess validity, specifically the relevant aspects of the job I was applying for, and whether my answers indicated future job performance. These questions assess critical thinking skills, nursing judgment, and my ability to safely and successfully multitask, all of which are necessary and important skills to safely perform the job. For example, if there were three patients, one wanting water, one having difficulty breathing, and one needing an appointment scheduled, and I chose to get the patient water or schedule an appointment before assisting the patient who was having difficulty breathing, that would indicate I lack the appropriate critical thinking skills needed for the position likely removing me as a candidate. At the time, I had no idea if the same questions were asked to other candidates, but I assume they likely were for the sake of reliability.
A this week’s lectures discuss, carefully designed interview can provide great insight into the candidates being interviewed by successfully highlighting strengths and weaknesses, all while using a scoring method to mitigate bias and support the decision-making process.